Staff photographer Maria Isabel Oliveira captured a viral image of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva standing atop a pickup truck holding the constitution during his campaign, only to watch her credit vanish as the photo spread across social media.
During his final campaign event last month, Lula stood on the roof of a truck in a crowded São Paulo avenue surrounded by supporters waving flags. Oliveira, working as a staff photographer for O Globo, took the picture that resonated with millions across Brazil.
The image quickly surpassed 19 million views after Oliveira posted it to her professional Instagram account. Yet as users reposted the picture, many omitted her name and media outlet entirely.
“I didn’t imagine it would reach this scale, precisely because it wasn’t an unprecedented scene,” Oliveira told LatAm Journalism Review. “On the other hand, I was very scared and felt invalidated.”
Third parties began selling online prints of the photograph for 28.40 reais, roughly US$5.50, and printing it on T-shirts. Public figures also shared the image on their social media profiles without crediting the photographer.
Brazilian copyright law requires third parties to include a photographer’s name alongside their published images, though enforcement remains inconsistent. Other photojournalists faced identical challenges during the recent elections, including Belo Horizonte-based Richard Silveira and São Paulo-based Tuane Fernandes.
Fernandes captured an image of Lula that appeared on the cover of The Guardian Weekly and later surfaced on commercial T-shirts sold online. Silveira also watched his photographs of Lula circulate widely across digital platforms without proper attribution.
“When you’re just making a post, it’s fine to post it on your social media,” Silveira said in a recent video shared with his Instagram followers. “But using the photo for editorial or commercial purposes needs to respect this licensing and compensation.”
Oliveira said that the viral spread began when an independent media outlet took her photograph without permission, edited the file, and published it without attribution. She explained that she deliberately waited for a specific moment during the campaign rally rather than documenting Lula’s security guards steadying him.
“I knew that at some point, the security guard would hold his feet so he wouldn’t lose his balance. I didn’t want to capture that moment. I wanted to capture him there, free, standing, alone,” Oliveira said.
“I knew that at some point he would look up to the sky, because they always look up to the sky. And whenever he does that, his eyes shine. And you can see that most of the time, he’s tearing up, he’s very emotional. So I waited for that moment, too.”
After the image escaped control online, a colleague initiated a public movement to recognize Oliveira, while other photographers searched social media for uncredited versions to tag her properly. Deborah Linhares posted a video discussing the photograph and the importance of professional visual documentation in recording history.
“There is someone behind the photo that was there making choices, taking risks, and casting an intentional eye on that event,” Linhares said. “Giving credit to the photographer means respecting the intellectual work and also the responsibility involved, which is essential for understanding the importance of the image and contextualizing that historical record.”
The São Paulo Association of Photojournalists and Cinematographic Reporters issued a public statement addressing the unauthorized reproduction of digital media.
“The reach of an image does not make it content that is free to use, nor does it authorize its indiscriminate reproduction,” the organization said on Instagram. “Each image requires work, knowledge, and professional resources.”
Alberto Jacob Filho, president of the Rio de Janeiro branch of Arfoc, said that uncredited sharing has become standard practice across social media platforms. While the association regularly files protests against copyright violations and counsels members on seeking compensation, the sheer volume of daily infractions makes complete oversight impossible.
“Since violations are common, occurring almost daily, we only take action when the photograph has some level of significance,” Filho said.
| Photographer | Media Outlet | Platform | Incident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Isabel Oliveira | O Globo | Viral campaign photo reposted without attribution and sold on merchandise | |
| Richard Silveira | Campaign images circulated online without editorial licensing | ||
| Tuane Fernandes | The Guardian Weekly | Cover photograph reproduced on commercial T-shirts |
Oliveira continues searching for sustainable ways to protect digital photojournalism rights against widespread unauthorized distribution. “I even joked with friends in the field that we should get alerts on our phones that our photos are being stolen,” she said. “My consolation is knowing that the truth always comes out in the end, and no one can take away the authorship of the work from you.”
